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Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (NNEST) and Native English Speaking Teachers (NEST)
According to the Department of Education and Employment of the United Kingdom (1998),
English is spoken as a first language by around 375 million and as a second language by around 375
million speakers in the world. The British Council (as cited in David Crystal, 1995) stated that speakers
of English as a second language probably outnumber those who speak it as a first language, around 750
million people are believed to speak English as a foreign language, and one out of four of the world's
population speak English to some level of competence; demand from the other three-quarters is
increasing. With these facts, English teachers are unavoidably needed. In the area of English Language
Teaching (ELT) there are pros and cons for using Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (NNEST) or
Native English Speaking Teachers (NEST). This paper will review four articles in the area of
nativespeakership.
I. Native and Non-Native: Who's worth more?
By Peter Medgyes
Peter Medgyes (n.d.) argued that both NNEST and NEST have something to bring to the table
of ELT. The nativespeakership itself is not easy to define. An Indonesian is not a native speaker. An
Australian is a native speaker. How about an Indian for whom English is a second language in his
country? The second language countries are the ones that break the hegemony of nativespeakership.
Because of this, Medgyes concluded that a native speaker is a person who is born and brought up in an
English-speaking environment and demonstrates more accomplished use than a non-native speaker.
Thus, a native speaker has an advantage over those for whom English is a foreign language. He then
suggested the inter-language continuum to describe this line of nativespeakership. In this continuum,
there is a glass wall that non-native speakers cannot climb over because they cannot achieve native
speakers' competence.
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zero competence
glass wall
native competence
Figure 1
This distinction between NNEST and NEST in ELT field plays a key role in determining the
teaching practices of all teachers. Medgyes found that employers prefer to hire NNEST and NEST with
teaching qualification rather than ones without teaching qualification. He stated that from his
experience, NNEST and NEST stand an equal chance of achieving professional success. It is because
though NNEST have a different level of competence than NEST, their deficient command of English
enables them to compete with NEST, particularly in a monolingual ELT setting. According to Medgyes:
1. NNEST can serve as an imitable models of the successful learner of English;
2. NNEST can teach learning strategies more effectively;
3. NNEST can provide learners with more information about the English language;
4. NNEST are more able to anticipate language difficulties;
5. NNEST can be more empathetic to the needs and problems of their learners;
6. NNEST can benefit from sharing the learners' mother tongue.
Thus, NNEST and NEST are equally effective because in the final analysis their respective
strengths and weaknesses balance each other out. However, he also emphasized that the more one is
proficient in English, the more one is efficient in classroom. Therefore, it is the most important
professional duty of NNEST to continue improving their command of English. On the other hand,
NEST can counterbalance some of their backward practices by being successful learners of foreign
languages. Eventually, Medgyes (pp.348-349) concluded that “The ideal NEST is the one who has
achieved a high degree of proficiency in their learners' mother tongue and the ideal NNEST is the one
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who has achieved near-native proficiency in English.”
II. Non-native English speaking teachers in the teaching English profession
By Rosie Maum.
Rosie Maum (2002) began with the hiring process in ELT that has shifted from who the job
candidates are (i.e. native or non-native speakers of English) to what they are (i.e. qualified English
teachers) which allows more democratic employment practices. Quoting Phillipson (1996), Rosie
argued that NNESTs can be potentially ideal ESL teachers because they have gone through the process
of acquiring English as a second language. They have first-hand experience in learning and using a
second language, and their personal experience has sensitized them to the linguistic and cultural needs
of their students. In line with Phillipson, quoting Medgyes (1996), Maum stated that the area where
NNEST seem to be less qualified in English language proficiency was also the one that gave them a
certain advantage over native speakers; if NESTs are good language models, NNESTs are good learner
models. NNESTs are better qualified to teach language learning strategies because they themselves
have adopted those strategies during their own learning process.
However, NNESTs' strengths are not without challenges.
Accent and credibility in the
workplace are among them. Many of their students resent being taught by non-native speakers until
they can prove themselves as effective as NESTs.
Few solutions regarding this matter have been made:
1. TESOL, an international professional organization that represents teachers of English to speaker
of other languages, approved the formation of NNEST Caucus.
2. Universities in the United States have begun to include issues of concern and interest to NNEST
in the curriculum.
3. Collaborative teaching between NESTs and NNESTs in universities focus on and share about
their particular strengths.
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III. Pros and cons of using non/native English speaking teachers
By I.V. Luksha and E.N. Solovova
Luksha and Solovova (n.d.) claimed that a non-native English speaker who has gone through
teacher training and has a good command of English is better than a native who has no idea how to
teach, or even any idea how language functions, and just speaks English as his own language. Teaching
is a different job than speaking. The fact is that English is a big business now. To attract students, a
foreign face is usually more important than a qualified teacher. However, we should not deny the
possibility of using native speakers in the teaching practice as advisers to NNESTs because they cannot
know all of the elements native teachers do. Ideally, students need to learn from both native male and
female teachers without strong regional accents who have studied intensive English grammar and know
both their language and the language of the people being taught.
Luksha and Solovova suggested that for beginner students, a non-native teacher with
appropriate education in EFL seems to be better than a native one because he knows the language of his
students. On the other hand, a native teacher will be suitable for advance-level students since he
seemingly has more knowledge and experience over the language and the culture being taught. They
continued to emphasize that nationality is not an issue. A good teacher should have a love of language
and a continuing interest in improving one's language performance. Teachers should take into
consideration of the following things: language proficiency, teaching effectiveness, classroom
management, presentation of foreign culture, and psychological elements and personality.
IV. When the teacher is a non-native speaker
By Peter Medgyes
According to Medgyes (n.d.), the goal of language learning is an effective use of the target
language. English as an International language (EIL) is taught by both NESTs and NNESTs. Medgyes
stated that a NNEST is most commonly defined as a teacher “for whom English is a second or foreign
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language; who works in an EFL environment; whose students are monolingual groups of learners; who
speaks the same native language as his or her students. By extension, NESTs may be defined as the
opposite of non-NESTs, most characteristically as a teacher who speaks English as a native language.”
(p. 433). However, there is little mobility in teaching English between these two groups (p. 431). Many
NNESTs have an inferiority complex caused by the defect in their English language proficiency and
about some kind of cognitive dissonance due to the double role they played as both teachers and
learners of the same subject. Medgyes assumed that it is logical that NNESTs place an emphasis on the
aspects of the language they have a better grasp of. Preoccupied with their own difficulties, they are
reluctant to loosen the grip over the class. NNESTs are inclined to adopt a more controlled and
cautious pedagogic approach. (pp. 434-435).
NNESTs and NESTs differ in their language proficiency and teaching behavior. Discrepancies
in language proficiency account for most of the differences found in their teaching behavior, but they
can be equally good teachers on their own terms. Medgyes concluded that the differences between
NNESTs and NESTs does not imply better or worse. He suggested that language teachers should be
hired solely on their professional virtues, regardless of their language background. An ideal school then
is the one which maintains a good balance of NESTs and NNESTs who complement each other in their
strengths and weaknesses.
V. Personal reaction and professional evaluation of the articles
The foundation I work for is also preparing to open an English Education major in a university
in Indonesia. Some professors there encouraged me to investigate the works of Peter Medgyes and
Phillipson. Their works were familiar to my ears but I never deeply investigated them until now.
Being a NNEST myself, I feel strong connection with what the articles said above. I am from
Indonesia, where we have thousands of islands and hundreds of tribal languages, a language situation
which puts English as our third language after our mother tongue and the Indonesian unification
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language. Indonesian NNESTs have various difficulties in teaching English. Most of them teach in big
classes and teach in remote areas where they have very limited resources. Sometimes, they may be the
only person who knows English in their area, which somehow affects their teaching accountability.
Also, in many parts of Indonesia, they teach students who may even have difficulties in acquiring their
second language, the Indonesian unification language. With the many challenges NNESTs face in
Indonesia, like Rosie Maum suggested, I think it is important for Indonesian universities to include the
issue of concern and interest to NNESTs in the English Education - Teacher Education's curriculum. In
this way, Indonesian universities can better prepare their graduates to teach in an Indonesian context.
When I was reading Luksha and Solovova, I was questioning myself whether I agree with their
suggestion of having NNESTs teaching beginner students and NESTs teaching advanced level students.
NESTs definitely have higher level English proficiency than NNESTs, so is not it better to have NESTs
teaching beginner students so that the students will have a very strong English foundation? It seems
that there is fear if NNESTs teaching advance level students, NNESTs will not be able to accommodate
and challenge the students. However, is not it an opportunity for both NNESTs and their students to
grow academically together and build a sense of learning community under the umbrella of loving
other people, while at the same time practicing Christian values?
Another thing that stood out for me is the “glass wall” theory. It has been about 19 years since I
first formally encountered the English language. Being a NNEST for some years, I can resonate with
what Medgyes said about the glass wall. There are things that I still could not grasp and understand and
though I study hard, there are details that I miss. I think that I may never achieve a competence level
like a NEST unless I live in an English speaking country for a long period of time (which I never have
done until last summer).
Then, I feel privileged to witness what Medgyes described as an ideal school with a balance
number of NNESTs and NESTs. This past four years, I worked for an international school where I saw
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how NNESTs and NESTs teach collaboratively and complete each other in teaching and learning
process. However, I keep thinking, “What can NNESTs in monolingual setting do if they are the only
ones who know English?” How can they be supported? What can they do by themselves? These
questions have become the focus of my research for my master's project now.
Last, I think it is important for ELT and EIL fields to be aware of and to know the issue of
NNESTs and NESTs. Knowing this will help teachers to find a strong foundational identity of being
NESTs or NNESTs. Having strong identity of who they are will help them to anticipate the teaching
context and to cope with their weaknesses. Both sides of the teachers (NEST and NNEST) need to
know what entails being NNESTs or NESTs in teaching profession. They need to learn to collaborate
and work together. Knowing their nativespeakership, NESTs should grow in learning and
understanding of their students' language, and NNESTs should work hard to improve their English
proficiency.
The articles above help address the issue that NNESTs in Indonesia have. I think that they
encourage and support NNESTs to be confident in their not being a native speaker of English. Being
NNESTs does not mean we cannot teach English. In fact, with more people in monolingual setting
want to learn English, NNESTs are highly needed. The articles can help teachers to understand ELT
field more and hopefully grow to be better teachers. Also, the articles shared valuable information for
employers in the process of hiring ESL teachers; both NNESTs and NESTs are qualified because at the
end their strengths and weaknesses balance each other out.
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References
Brisith Council (n.d.). Frequently Asked Questions: The English Language. Retrieved October 10,
2013 from http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-faq-the-english-language.htm.
Luksha, I.V. & Solovova, E.N. (n.d.). Pros and cons for using non/native English speaking teachers.
Retrieved October 15, 2013 from
http://vestnik.tspu.ru/files/PDF/articles/luksha_i._v._97_99_9_60_2006.pdf.
Maum, R. (2002, December). Non-native English Speaking Teachers in the English teaching
profession. In Center for Applied Linguistics. Retrieved October 13, 2013, from
http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/0209maum.html.
Medgyes, P. (n.d.). Native or Non-native: Who's worth more. Retrieved October 15, 2013 from
http://203.72.145.166/ELT/files/46-4-2.PDF.
Medgyes, P. (n.d.). When the teacher is a Non-native speaker. Retrieved September 24, 2013 from
http://teachingpronunciation.pbworks.com/f/When%2Bthe%2Bteacher%2Bis%2Ba%2Bnonnative%2Bspeaker.PDF.
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